1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a beverage brewing apparatus, in general, and to a modular brewing apparatus having an interlocking modular assembly that enables the brewing apparatus to be simply and easily configured to maximize the adaptability of the brewing apparatus for the needs of the manufacturer, the distributor and end user, in particular.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many forms of beverage brewing apparatus are in common use in commercial as well as consumer settings. The popularity of the beverage brewing apparatus is due to its ability to make a freshly brewed beverage directly from brewing materials, such as coffee grounds, tea leaves and the like. The consuming public greatly prefers the quality of such freshly brewed beverages over instant beverages made from dehydrated concentrates.
Beverage brewers of varying degrees of complexity are available on the market. Some beverage brewers are designed for direct connection to an external plumbing system to prepare and deliver hot water without the user having to fill a reservoir. Other brewers, frequently referred to as "pour-over" brewers require the user to pour unheated water into a receptacle for subsequent heating. The internal operating mechanisms of these brewers are similar and, typically, include a water heating tank, heating coils, and suitable controls for energizing the heating coils to heat the water and de-activating the coils when the correct water temperature has been obtained. An internal plumbing system delivers cold water to the tank for heating and delivers hot water from the tank for beverage brewing.
Because of the widespread use of such beverage brewing apparatus, it is desirable to provide an apparatus which can accommodate a variety of space limitations, site locations and market conditions. For example, if a brewer is used by a restaurant, it would be beneficial for the user to be able to adapt the brewing apparatus to a variety of space limitations so that the brewer may be located in various locations at the option of the user. When the needs of a user change, it is often desirable that the brewing apparatus be modifiable to fulfill those needs. However, this modification is not easily accomplished with currently available devices. Furthermore, the requirements of the user may change due to new developments in the industry or due to new preferences of the beverage consumers. It is desirable that the existing brewing apparatus be changed to accommodate the new preferences in order to avoid the obsolesce of existing units as the industry changes. Again, because of the construction of existing equipment, this change is not easily accomplished and may even be impossible in some cases.
With the state of the art devices, a manufacturer of beverage brewing apparatus is required to produce a large number of machine styles and configurations. Consequently, a large number of fixed-configuration machines must be maintained in inventory to accommodate a variety of settings.
For example, in settings where additional warming units or storage units for beverage vessels are desired, a variety of side units may be required to adapt the brewer apparatus to the specific setting. For example, the warming or storage units can be disposed on each side of a central brewer unit or, conversely, on the right or left side of the brewing unit.
Another consideration is the quality of the beverage brewed and the tidiness of the brewing process, if the brewed beverage must travel a significant distance before entering a vessel, the beverage has a longer time for reacting with the surrounding atmosphere. This reaction may lower the quality of the beverage. In addition, the greater the distance between the brewing funnel or brewing cone and the vessel, the greater the chance that the beverage will spatter or splash. This often results in an unkempt appearance of the area surrounding the brewing apparatus as well as posing a danger to the user. In view of the large variety of shapes and sizes of vessels available and being used in commercial practice, these problems frequently occur. In most cases, the commercial brewing apparatus user has a brewing apparatus which is impossible to adjust or modify to accommodate a variety of vessels. Alternatively, the user must maintain an inventory of many different units to accommodate the needs of each setting and each size vessel. Such an inventory can be quite expensive.
Clearly, the user (as well as the manufacturer and/or distributor) would prefer to maintain a smaller inventory of brewing devices which are easily modified to meet the various needs. Minimizing the number of parts among various models of brewing apparatus would reduce the expense and complexity of the manufacturing process, the parts inventories and the overall production costs. Minimizing the number of different parts, along with providing a brewing apparatus that is easily modifiable to a desired configuration, also simplifies field installation, field repair and field training.
Furthermore, a minimized parts requirement allows a field representative to more easily, more completely, and more rapidly respond to the changing needs of the commercial user with only a minimum, if any, interruption in service.